The Agony of Defeat   

The Washington Post believed in D.C.'s Olympic chances as much--perhaps more--than anyone

They say the first step to getting what you want is to believe in yourself--'cause if not, no one else will. Or something like that. The Washington Post seemed to take that tack, in earnest, in its hometown's quest to score the 2012 Olympic Summer Games. The paper believed--really hard--that the D.C./Baltimore region would triumph over competing cities Houston, New York and San Francisco, stating so over and over again in print. Despite the Post's confidence, a Michael Johnson-esque flag-draped victory lap wasn't in the cards for the nation's capital. More like a Greg Louganis head flop on the diving board.

A look back at the Post's Olympian support for the D.C. bid:

July 3
"D.C.'s Bid Looks Better And Better"
Excerpt: Halfway through the U.S. Olympic Committee's visits of the four U.S. cities that hope to win the 2012 Summer Games, it's clear that Washington-Baltimore has significantly improved its chances of winning the U.S. nomination, moving from the role of legitimate candidate to, arguably, that of leading candidate.

July 17
"Area Bid Gains Olympic Stature"
Excerpt: Washington-Baltimore and San Francisco emerged from the U.S. Olympic Committee's final round of site visits as apparent front-runners in the quest to land the U.S. nomination to compete for the 2012 Summer Games, according to a highly placed U.S. official who has been involved in the process.

July 18
"USOC Official Discounts Report"
Excerpt: U.S. Olympic Committee Site Evaluation Chairman Charles H. Moore yesterday disputed a story in Wednesday's Washington Post that said that San Francisco and Washington had emerged as the apparent front-runners in the race for the USOC's nomination for the 2012 Summer Games. Moore said none of the four bid cities...could be a called a favorite to win the bid.

August 27
"D.C. Learns Today if Olympic Bid Lives"
Excerpt: Washington-Baltimore is likely to advance when the U.S. Olympic Committee site evaluation team meets Tuesday.... Because of the broad appeal and strengths of Washington's bid, several officials have said that it is hard to imagine a scenario in which Washington-Baltimore fails to survive the cut.

August 28
"D.C. Bid for Olympic Games Rejected"